


Fun Facts About Swords

by HSavinien



Series: Nonfiction: Medieval Weapon Rants and Bullet-pointed Infodumps [2]
Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms
Genre: Animal Death, Battle, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Gen, Knights - Freeform, Nonfiction, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Swords, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2014-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-13 11:29:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16891752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HSavinien/pseuds/HSavinien
Summary: By request, basic info on various kinds of swords and their uses.





	Fun Facts About Swords

I uh, don’t really have a _specific_ rant about swords unless someone’s being wrong at me, but I’d be happy to share some interesting facts about size and use, as that was what triggered the bow rant.  In bullet form because that way I don’t have to connect my thoughts in logical order.

  * As with bows, bigger is not always better or best suited to one’s individual purpose (i.e. stabbing or slicing someone or something squishy).
  * Big Fuckin’ Swords, as seen in your Final Fantasy games, barbarian pulp fantasy, and other such places, are VERY RARELY the right option.
  * Anything that weighs in excess of 5 lbs. is, in fact, [WRONG](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thearma.org%2Fessays%2Fweights.htm&t=YTlmNzY4MjBjMjk4ZTM3NzhlMjI5NDg0MDAwM2RmNjA4NGQyNGE2Nix6cGpzeFNBSg%3D%3D&b=t%3AAbM2GQelIABrceH_cxJ4Yw&p=http%3A%2F%2Fhsavinien.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F106525412423%2Fswords&m=0).  Special fancy post-medieval “parade” swords for show might be up to 9 lbs., but they were never actually intended for use as a weapon.  Try carrying that bugger around all day.
  * There are such thing as useful long-swords (still under the 4 lb. mark) and the Germanic types had a whole weapon style that revolved around the use of them.  This descended largely from the school of fighting of a 14th c. dude named Liechtenauer and [is still practiced today](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.myarmoury.com%2Ffeature_arms_gls.html&t=NjkxZGEwNGMxYTdjMDEzZjAxZmZjYzllNTc4NjlhYzhiMzNkODNiZSx6cGpzeFNBSg%3D%3D&b=t%3AAbM2GQelIABrceH_cxJ4Yw&p=http%3A%2F%2Fhsavinien.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F106525412423%2Fswords&m=0). These were double-edged blades used with two hands, very rarely in combo with a shield, and the fighter used their sword to block incoming blows as well as to strike.  They could be used mounted or afoot.
  * Great-swords are a thing too, with blades up to 4 ft. long.  These were only used on foot and two handed, and largely as a thrusting weapon and often employed to break pike formations (unit of footsoldiers armed with pointy bits on sticks, very bad for horses).  If you try to smash one of these buggers down on someone’s head, they’re likely to be gone before you get there.  Two-handed swords and claymores and such fall into this category.  These were actually more a late-Medieval/Renaissance thing, not so much the fur-clad barbarians, _thanks_ Conan.
  * Most European swords were between 2 and 3 lbs., up to maybe 3.5 - 4 for the largest hand-and-a-half type swords, while rapiers (fencing/dueling weapons a la the Three Musketeers) weigh in around 2 - 3 lbs. **Edited for rapier weight correction, not my primary weapon.**
  * That groove down the center of many swords is not a “blood channel”, whatever morbid teen boys or toy sword emporia owners may tell you. It is, in fact, shaped that way to reduce weight without sacrificing structural strength.
  * A “broadsword” usually refers to a post-medieval military cutlass or saber, not a particularly large medieval weapon.
  * Your general Western European medieval sword is pretty straightforward, though fighting styles and sizes vary.  They are generally double-edged with a sharp tip and most often used one-handed.  Hacking and shearing cuts were most common, stabbing secondary.
  * The other hand may carry a shield or a second weapon, whether an axe (your Viking favorite), a knife (handy for close quarters), or a second sword (to be used for blocking or giving someone a surprise at an angle they weren’t expecting).
  * Some swords were hexagonal in shape, [designed specifically for piercing the gaps in plate armor in the later Medieval period](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fmyarmoury.com%2Ffeature_spotxvii.html&t=OGRjNWY4ZjJmMGM2NjNjN2NhMTBlZWEzZGI4YTBlNzVkNjgwY2U0Nix6cGpzeFNBSg%3D%3D&b=t%3AAbM2GQelIABrceH_cxJ4Yw&p=http%3A%2F%2Fhsavinien.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F106525412423%2Fswords&m=0) when that became more common.  I know less about these, as I prefer to bash my enemies with something sharp.
  * Single-edged blades, sometimes called falchions, were an outgrowth of the handy meat-cleaver that someone picked up in an attempt to ventilate an enemy.  Strictly a hacking weapon.
  * Sword-fighters started young, like 8-10 years-old sometimes.  They practiced daily with drills against a pell (padded practice pole or dummy) and other fighters and in sparring sessions.  A lot of practice was done with arming-swords, aka wasters, wooden swords shaped and weighted like the real thing, or blunted metal weapons.
  * Damascened blades, with the cool wavy patterns from folding, are indeed lovely and awesome.  They may have actually produced carbon nano-tubes with pre-Modern forging materials and we’re not sure how they managed it.  This originated in India.
  * Japanese swords with their tons and tons of folds are not inherently better than Western European swords.  They had crappier steel to work with so they had to mess with it more to get a decent blade.
  * Curved swords are good for fighters on horseback.  If you’re moving fast, it’s easier to get in a good slash with a curved blade without it getting stuck and pulling out of your hand.
  * Conclusion: Sword design depended on the use to which is was being put and the types of armor (or lack thereof) that its owner would be facing. (Spoiler: Armor's  _expensive_.  A lot of the people on any given battle-field had very little of it.)



For further reading with illustrations, look up Ewart Oakeshott, particularly “Sword in the Age of Chivalry”.  For modern recreations of Western sword fighting research, take a look at the [ARMA](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thearma.org%2Fessays.htm&t=Yjg0MjM2YjM4MDliOTA5YTE2ZDQ0MTY0OGIxYWNkNTA3NzBiN2IyMCx6cGpzeFNBSg%3D%3D&b=t%3AAbM2GQelIABrceH_cxJ4Yw&p=http%3A%2F%2Fhsavinien.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F106525412423%2Fswords&m=0) page.


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